Route · ORD → ALO · 2020–2025 BTS data
Chicago to Waterloo
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), ORD to ALO (Chicago to Waterloo) ranks #3832 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 86.3%
- On-time
- +7.3 pts
- vs US avg
- 66 min
- Delay when late
- 1,988
- Flights
- #3832 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
2.9%
Best Month
Dec 2021 97%
Worst Month
Dec 2025 63%
Distance
234 mi
Carriers
1
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 56 | 21 | 5 | 0 | MQ |
| Nov 2025 | 54 | 10 | 3 | 1 | MQ |
| Oct 2025 | 61 | 9 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Sep 2025 | 52 | 10 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Aug 2025 | 55 | 9 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Jul 2025 | 61 | 19 | 1 | 3 | MQ |
| Jun 2025 | 52 | 17 | 0 | 2 | MQ |
| Feb 2023 | 35 | 5 | 1 | 0 | MQ |
| Jan 2023 | 40 | 12 | 3 | 0 | MQ |
| Dec 2022 | 61 | 9 | 3 | 0 | MQ |
| Nov 2022 | 58 | 7 | 1 | 0 | MQ |
| Oct 2022 | 59 | 2 | 1 | 0 | MQ |
| Sep 2022 | 52 | 7 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Aug 2022 | 57 | 4 | 5 | 0 | MQ |
| Jul 2022 | 58 | 9 | 1 | 0 | MQ |
| Jun 2022 | 56 | 5 | 0 | 1 | MQ |
| May 2022 | 61 | 9 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Apr 2022 | 60 | 6 | 2 | 0 | MQ |
| Mar 2022 | 62 | 5 | 1 | 0 | MQ |
| Feb 2022 | 55 | 8 | 5 | 0 | MQ |
| Jan 2022 | 57 | 8 | 4 | 0 | MQ |
| Dec 2021 | 60 | 2 | 1 | 0 | MQ |
| Nov 2021 | 56 | 2 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Oct 2021 | 53 | 6 | 2 | 0 | MQ |
ORD–ALO seasonal on-time pattern
Best: April (95.4%) · weakest: January (79.7%)
Strongest calendar month
April
95.4% on-time · ~43 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
July
~59 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
January
79.7% on-time · ~47 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
2.9%
39 of 1,331 flights
Diversion Rate
0.5%
7 of 1,331 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
ORD - Chicago
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Chicago, IL.
ORD on-time profileALO - Waterloo
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Waterloo, IA.
ALO on-time profileCompare the two airports
See ORD and ALO side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare ORD vs ALOOrigin-hub reliability standing
Among ORD's stronger departures
ORD → ALO posts a 86.3% on-time rate, landing in the ≥85% band with 10 of 168 BTS-tracked routes leaving Chicago. The same hub also shows 147 mid-band and 11 challenged departures · fleet-wide on-time rank #825 of 4927 (highest on-time = #1).
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to ORD–ALO.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About ORD to ALO
Chicago to Waterloo (ORD to ALO) is one of the more dependable pairings in the BTS On-Time Performance dataset: a 86.3% on-time rate across 1,988 flights, with delays that do happen averaging 66.1 minutes. The corridor runs roughly 234 miles and is served by 1 carrier. Over the most recent 24 months, 39 of 1,331 flights were cancelled (2.9%) and 7 diverted (0.5%).
The monthly split is wide on this route: Dec 2021 posted the strongest performance at 97% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 63% - a 34-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, ORD–ALO peaks in April at 95.4% on-time while July carries the heaviest traffic (~59 flights per month) ; the softest month is January at 79.7%, a 15.7-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does ORD to ALO rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from ORD to ALO? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for ORD to ALO? ▼
How far is the flight from ORD to ALO? ▼
When is the best time to fly from ORD to ALO? ▼
Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using ORD–ALO data
ORD–ALO runs 7.3 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.
- Compare ORD and ALO airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. ORD airport
- If your dates flex, April (95.4% on-time) beats January (79.7%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 86.3% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.